Electrical terminal crimping device which prevents removal of defective crimp

ABSTRACT

A wire termination apparatus for terminating an electrical terminal to a wire or cable include an upper tooling member which is movable between an open position and a closed position. A lower tooling member is attached to a base member of a frame of the wire termination apparatus. A process analyzer determines if a crimped terminal is properly crimped to a wire or cable. If the process analyzer determines that the terminal has not been properly crimped to the wire cable, the removal of the defectively crimped terminal and wire or cable from the wire termination apparatus is prevented until a code or key is entered.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to an electrical terminal crimpingsystems and method that are used for crimping terminals to ends ofwires, and, more specifically, to retaining a defectively crimpedterminal in the crimping machine.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Electrical terminals can be crimped to electrical conductors, such aselectrical wires or cables, during a crimping operation to form anelectrical lead. In electrical systems, electrical leads are used toprovide an electrical signal path between two electrical components inthe same or different electrical devices. The terminals are crimped tothe conductors by a crimping machine, such as bench terminator or alead-making machine. In a typical crimping operation, a terminal isplaced in a crimping zone of the crimping machine and a wire is insertedinto a ferrule or barrel of the terminal. A ram of the crimping machinemoves toward the terminal along a crimp stroke. The ram pinches orcrimps the terminal around and onto the wire, which mechanically andelectrically connects the wire to the terminal and forms the lead.

The electrical terminal is deformed around the wire during the crimpingprocess. The final shape of the terminal after crimping is critical toelectrical performance. There are many difficulties that could lead to adefective crimp, such as wire strands that are not in the crimp, thewrong crimp height, bad terminal positioning in the crimp tooling, etc.Many of these difficulties can be detected by monitoring the forcerequired to deform the terminal around the wire.

It is current practice in the industry to use a process analysis monitorto analyze the crimping process to determine if the crimp is good ordefective. To keep the defective crimp from entering a final product,some systems will cut the wire or cable to remove the defective crimp.However, in large cable crimp applications, such as high voltage cablesfor electric vehicles for instance, it is not convenient for thetermination machine to cut off the defective crimp.

It would therefore be beneficial to have a device and method toeffectively and efficiently prevent the operator from removing adefectively crimped terminal from the terminal crimping machine withoutdestroying the wire or cable and crimped terminal, thereby reducing thechance that the defective crimp being used in an end product.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first embodiment, after a defective crimp is detected, thedefectively crimped terminal and cable or wire is held in the wiretermination apparatus by keeping the crimp tooling in close proximity ortouching the crimped terminal. This embodiment is directed to a wiretermination apparatus for terminating an electrical terminal to a cable.The wire termination apparatus includes an upper tooling member attachedto a ram. The upper tooling member has a crimp die and is movablebetween an open position and a closed position. A lower tooling memberis attached to a base member of a frame of the wire terminationapparatus. A clamping device is position proximate the lower toolingmember. The clamping device is configured to position and hold thecable. A sensor is positioned on the wire termination apparatus and isconfigured to feed data to a process analyzer to determine if theterminal has been properly crimped to the cable as the upper tooling ismoved from the open position to the closed position. If the processanalyzer determines that the terminal has not been properly crimped tothe cable, the upper tooling member is prevented from returning to theopen position or returned to a position in close proximity or touchingthe crimped terminal to prevent the removal of the terminal from thewire termination apparatus.

In a second embodiment, the cable is locked in a cable clamp prior tocable termination. If during termination, a process analyzer determinesthe crimp to be defective, the guards on the termination apparatus willbe prevented from being opened so that the cable cannot be released fromthe cable clamp. This embodiment is directed to a clamping device foruse with a wire termination apparatus. The wire terminating apparatushas a movable guard that prevents the operator from accessing pinchpoints or the release handle of the clamp when the guard is closed. Thisembodiment is directed to a method of terminating a cable to anelectrical terminal, the method comprising: positioning the terminal ina terminal in a terminal holding device; inserting a cable into theterminal; clamping the cable to retain the cable in position with aclamping device; moving termination tooling from an open position to aclosed position to secure the terminal on the cable; moving thetermination tooling toward the open position; and monitoring aconnection between the terminal and the cable to determine if theterminal is properly secured to the cable.

The clamping device of the second embodiment has a first clamp arm and asecond clamp arm. A slide extends between the first clamp arm and thesecond clamp arm. A linkage is attached to the slide. A handle isattached to the linkage through a handle pivot block. Raising the handlemoves the slide to rotate the clamp arms to a closed position where theyare locked around the cable. An over center condition between the slide,the link, the handle pivot block and the adjustment block prevents theclamp arms from opening. The clamp is mounted on a base that is able tomove axially during the crimping process when terminal and cableextrusion causes the cable to increase in length axially. During thecrimping process, a sensor will send information to a process analyzerto determine if the crimp is acceptable or defective. If the processanalyzer of the termination apparatus determines the crimp to bedefective, the termination apparatus will prevent the safety guards frombeing opened. This will prevent the operator from accessing the clamphandle to unlock the cable, thus preventing the removal of the defectiveterminal and cable from the wire termination apparatus.

In a third embodiment, the cable is held in place before, during, andafter crimping by a spring-loaded clamp. If a defective crimp isdetected, an air cylinder will apply extra force to the clamp jaws toprevent the defective crimp from being removed from the terminationapparatus. An embodiment is directed to a method of terminating a cableto an electrical terminal, the method comprising: positioning theterminal in a terminal in a terminal holding device; inserting a cableinto the terminal; clamping the cable to retain the cable in positionwith a clamping device; moving termination tooling from an open positionto a closed position to secure the terminal on the cable; moving thetermination tooling toward the open position; and monitoring aconnection between the terminal and the cable to determine if theterminal is properly secured to the cable. If the terminal is notproperly secured to the cable, the termination tooling is prevented frombeing moved to the open position. If the terminal is properly secured tothe cable, the termination tooling is moved to the open position.

The clamping device of the third embodiment has a first clamp arm and asecond clamp arm. A slide extends between the first clamp arm and thesecond clamp arm. A linkage is attached to the slide. A handle isattached to the linkage. Raising the handle allows springs to push theslide to rotate the clamp arms to a closed position where they are heldaround the cable with a light force. This light force allows the cableto slide in the clamp arms during the crimping process when terminal andcable extrusion causes the cable to increase in length axially. Duringthe crimping process, a sensor will send information to a processanalyzer to determine if the crimp is acceptable or defective. If theprocess analyzer of the termination apparatus determines the crimp to bedefective, the termination apparatus will apply extra clamping force tothe clamp arms via an air cylinder. This will prevent the removal of thedefective terminal and cable from the wire termination apparatus.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following more detailed description of the illustrativeembodiment, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings whichillustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an illustrative cable terminationapparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective of illustrative applicator tooling ofFIG. 1 shown in an open position.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective of illustrative applicator tooling ofFIG. 2, with a cable positioned therein and clamped in position.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective of illustrative applicator tooling ofFIG. 2, with the applicator tooling moved to a closed position.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective of illustrative applicator tooling ofFIG. 4, with the applicator tooling moved to a lowered position in whichupper tooling of the applicator tooling is retained in close proximityto a terminal crimped to the cable.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective of a second illustrative embodiment ofthe applicator tooling shown in an open position.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged perspective of illustrative applicator tooling ofFIG. 6, with a cable positioned therein and clamped in position.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged perspective of illustrative applicator tooling ofFIG. 6, with the applicator tooling moved to a closed position.

FIG. 9 is cross-sectional view of the cable clamp of FIG. 6 shown in anopen position.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the cable clamp of FIG. 9 shown in theopen position.

FIG. 11 is cross-sectional view of the cable clamp shown in FIG. 9, withthe cable clamp shown in a partially closed position.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the cable clamp of FIG. 11 shown in thepartially closed position.

FIG. 13 is cross-sectional view of the cable clamp shown in FIG. 11,with the cable clamp shown in a fully closed position.

FIG. 14 is cross-sectional view of the cable clamp shown in FIG. 13,with the cable clamp shown in a partially open position.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged perspective of a third illustrative embodiment ofthe applicator tooling shown in an open position.

FIG. 16 is an enlarged perspective of illustrative applicator tooling ofFIG. 13, with a cable positioned therein and clamped in position.

FIG. 17 is an enlarged perspective of illustrative applicator tooling ofFIG. 13, with the applicator tooling moved to a closed position.

FIG. 18 is cross-sectional view of the cable clamp of FIG. 15 shown inan open position.

FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the cable clamp of FIG. 18 shown in theopen position.

FIG. 20 is cross-sectional view of the cable clamp shown in FIG. 18,with the cable clamp shown in a partially closed position.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the cable clamp of FIG. 20 shown in thepartially closed position.

FIG. 22 is cross-sectional view of the cable clamp shown in FIG. 20,with the cable clamp shown in a fully closed position.

FIG. 23 is cross-sectional view of the cable clamp shown in FIG. 22,with the cable clamp shown in a partially open position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The description of illustrative embodiments according to principles ofthe present invention is intended to be read in connection with theaccompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entirewritten description. In the description of embodiments of the inventiondisclosed herein, any reference to direction or orientation is merelyintended for convenience of description and is not intended in any wayto limit the scope of the present invention. Relative terms such as“lower,” “upper,” “horizontal,” “vertical,” “above,” “below,” “up,”“down,” “top” and “bottom” as well as derivative thereof (e.g.,“horizontally,” “downwardly,” “upwardly,” etc.) should be construed torefer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawingunder discussion. These relative terms are for convenience ofdescription only and do not require that the apparatus be constructed oroperated in a particular orientation unless explicitly indicated assuch. Terms such as “attached,” “affixed,” “connected,” “coupled,”“interconnected,” and similar refer to a relationship wherein structuresare secured or attached to one another either directly or indirectlythrough intervening structures, as well as both movable or rigidattachments or relationships, unless expressly described otherwise.

Moreover, the features and benefits of the invention are illustrated byreference to the preferred embodiments. Accordingly, the inventionexpressly should not be limited to such embodiments illustrating somepossible non-limiting combination of features that may exist alone or inother combinations of features, the scope of the invention being definedby the claims appended hereto.

As shown in FIG. 1, a cable or wire termination apparatus 10 has a frame12 with a motor 14 attached thereto. A ram 16 is attached to the motor14 by a gearbox 18, a link (not shown) and a crankshaft (not shown). Theoperation of the motor 14, as is known in the industry, causes the ram16 to be moved from between a first or open position, as shown in FIG.2, and a second or closed position, as shown in FIG. 4.

An upper tooling member 22 is attached to the ram 16. The upper toolingmember 22 includes a crimp die 24 with an arcuate surface 26. The uppertooling member 22 is moved between an open position, as shown in FIG. 2,and a crimping position, as shown in FIG. 4. The open position of theupper tooling member 22 corresponds to the open position of the ram 16.The crimping position of the upper tooling member 22 corresponds to theclosed position of the ram 16.

A base plate 28 is attached to a bottom member 30 of the frame 12. Alower tooling member 32 extends from the base plate 28 in a directiontoward the upper tooling member 22.

A terminal holding device 38 is positioned proximate the lower toolingmember 32. The terminal holding device 38 has a terminal receivingcavity 40 for receiving a terminal 42 therein.

A clamping device 44 is provided on the base plate 28 proximate thelower tooling member 32. As shown in FIGS. 1 through 5, the clampingdevice 44 has clamp arms 46 which define a channel 48 for receiving thecable 36 therein. The particular configurations of the clamping device44 may vary or may not be present without departing from the scope ofthe invention.

In operation, the operator places a terminal 42 in the terminalreceiving cavity 40 of the terminal holding device 38. In alternateembodiments, the terminal 42 may be automatically positioned in theterminal receiving cavity 40 by a known automated process or device. Inalternate embodiments, there may be no terminal holding device and theterminal may be located in the crimping area by other means.

With the terminal 42 properly positioned, an end of the cable 36 ispositioned in the clamping device 44 of the lower tooling member 32. Theend of the cable 36 is then moved into the terminal 42, as shown in FIG.2. In alternate embodiments, the terminal may have a differentconfiguration, in such the cable may be located in proximity to theterminal.

In this position, the cable 36 extends from the terminal 42 and throughthe channel 48 of the clamping device 44. When the cable terminationdevice 10 is in the open position, the clamp arms 46 are in the openposition shown in FIG. 2, thereby allowing for the cable 36 to beproperly positioned.

With the terminal 42 and cable 36 properly positioned, the clamp arms 46are moved to the closed position, as shown in FIG. 3 to maintain thecable 36 in position relative to the cable termination device 10. Theclamp arms 46 may be moved manually by the operator or automatically.The clamp arms 46 may be operated by known means, such as, but notlimited to, hydraulic, pneumatic, spring or magnetic means.

With the cable 36 properly secured, the motor 14 is operated and drivesthe ram 16 and upper tooling member 22 to be moved toward the lowertooling member 32. As this occurs, the arcuate surface 26 of the crimpdie 24 of the upper tooling member 22 engages the terminal 42. Continuedmovement of the arcuate surface 26 of the crimp die 24 of the uppertooling member 22 causes the terminal 42 to be deformed or crimped tothe cable 36, as shown in FIG. 4.

As this occurs, a sensor (not shown) attached to the terminator frame 12senses the frame deflection and thus the force required to crimp theterminal and sends this data to a process analyzer (not shown).Alternately, the sensor may be located on the upper tooling member 22,the lower tooling member 32, or at other locations in the cabletermination device 10. The sensor may be a camera or other visualsensor, a displacement or distance sensor, strain, force, or other knowntype of sensors. The information may be in the form visual pictures,amount of displacement of the upper tooling member 22, or other knowcharacteristics which are relevant to determine if the terminal 42 isproperly secured to the cable 36. The processor will compare theinformation provided by the sensor to prior information of a propercrimp to determine if the crimped area of the terminal 42 is acceptableor good or if the crimped area of the terminal 42 is not acceptable ordefective. The processor may be a circuit board or other circuitry whichcan be located at any position on the cable termination device 10 orremote from the termination device. The type of process monitor ormethod of determining a good crimp is not limited by this invention.

If the crimped area of the terminal 42 is acceptable or good, theprocessor will allow the motor 14 to operate and return the ram 16 andthe upper tooling member 22 to the open position, thereby allowing theproperly terminated terminal 42 and cable 36 to be removed from thecable termination device 10.

If the crimp die 24 of the upper tooling 22 is in close proximity ortouching the terminal 42 and the processor determines that the crimpedarea of the terminal 42 is not acceptable or defective, the processorwill not allow the motor 14 to be operated. This prevents the ram 16 andthe upper tooling member 22 from being returned to the open position, asshown in FIG. 5, thereby preventing the removal of the terminal 42 andthe cable 36 from the cable termination device 10 by the operator.

Alternatively, the crimp die 24 of the upper tooling 22 is not in closeproximity or touching the terminal 42 and the processor determines thatthe crimped area of the terminal 42 is not acceptable or defective, theprocessor will signal the terminator to operate the motor and the ram 16to move the crimp die 24 of the upper tooling 22 back to being in closeproximity or touching the terminal 42, as shown in FIG. 5, therebypreventing the removal of the terminal 42 and the cable 36 from thecable termination device 10 by the operator.

In either case, the processor is secured and cannot be overrode withouta proper code or key, ensuring that the crimp die 24 is maintained inclose proximity to the terminal 42 to prevent the removal of thedefective terminal 42. In order to move the crimp die 24 away from thedefective terminal 42, a second person, such as a supervisor or aquality assurance person must the code or provide the key so that theprocessor can be overridden causing the crimp die 24 to be moved awayfrom the defective terminal 42 to allow the defective crimp terminal tobe removed from the terminator. This provides a method to ensure thatdefective crimps will be destroyed. In alternate embodiments, thedefective crimp can be released by other methods. The particular methodof releasing the defective crimp is not important to the idea ofretaining the defective crimp by keeping the crimp die 24 of the uppertooling 22 in close proximity or touching the crimped terminal 42.

Referring to FIGS. 6 through 14, a second illustrative embodiment isshown. In this embodiment the clamping device 144 is mounted on a slidetrack 145 which is mounted on the base plate 28. This allows theclamping device 144 to move small distances in the direction of alongitudinal axis of the cable 36. This allows small movement of thecable 36 during crimping to prevent buckling of the cable 36 due to thecable and terminal growing in length axially due to terminal and cableextrusion during the crimping process.

FIGS. 9 through 14 show the interaction of the parts of the toggle lockclamping device 144 in a section view in which the clamp housing 171 hasthe outside wall removed. As shown in FIGS. 9 through 14, the togglelock clamping device 144 has a first clamp arm 150 and a second clamparm 152. A slide 151 is positioned between the first clamp arm and thesecond clamp arm 152. Dowel pin 153 is fixed mounted in the housing 171and passes through a clearance hole in the first clamp 150 allowing theclamp 150 to rotate relative to the housing 171. A pin, 172 is fixedmounted to the first arm 150 and is engaged in slot 157 of the slide151. Linear movement of the slide 151 along the longitudinal axis 149 ofthe clamping device 144 causes a rotation of the first clamp 150relative to the housing 171. Dowel pin 173 is fixed mounted in thehousing 171 and passes through a clearance hole in the second clamp arm152 allowing the second clamp arm 152 to rotate relative to the housing171. A pin 159 is fixed mounted to the first arm 150 and is engaged inslot (not shown) of the slide 151. Movement of the slide 151 causes arotation of the second clamp arm 152 relative to the housing 171 and ina direction opposite the first clamp 150.

The slide 151 is attached to a spring 154 which is attached to an endwall 156 of the clamping device 144. The slide 151 is also is pivotallyconnected to a linkage 158 at pivot point 161. The linkage 158 ispivotably connected to a handle 160 at pivot point 163. The handle 160is also pivotably connected to an adjustment block 162 at pivot point165. The handle 160 has a first portion 164, which is connected to thelinkage 158 and the adjustment block 162, and a second portion 166 whichis pivotable connected to the first portion 164 at pivot point 167. Thesecond portion 166 is accessible by the operator.

An adjustment screw 168 is attached to the adjustment block 162. Theadjustment screw 168 extends through a wall 170 of the housing 171. Theadjustment screw 168 can be moved toward or away from the adjustmentblock 162 to adjust the amount of rotation of the first clamp arm 150and the second clamp arm 152. As the adjustment screw 168 is movedtoward the adjustment block 162, more rotation of the of the first clamparm 150 and the second clamp arm 152 is permitted, thereby allowing thefirst clamp arm 150 and the second clamp arm 152 to apply an increasedforce to the cable 36 to clamp the cable 36 in place to prevent thecable from being removed from the termination apparatus. As theadjustment screw 168 is moved away the adjustment block 162, lessrotation of the first clamp arm 150 and the second clamp arm 152 ispermitted, thereby allowing the first clamp arm 150 and the second clamparm 152 to apply a decreased force to the cable 36 to clamp the cable 36in place while preventing the cable from being damaged when beingclamped.

The toggle clamping device 144 shown in FIGS. 6 through 14 is meant tobe illustrative. Other types and configurations of the clamping devicemay be used without departing from the scope of the invention.

In operation, the operator places a terminal 42 in the terminalreceiving cavity 40 of the terminal holding device 38. In alternateembodiments, the terminal 42 may be automatically positioned in theterminal receiving cavity 40 by a known automated process or device.

With the terminal 42 properly positioned, an end of the cable 36 ispositioned in the clamping device 144. The end of the cable 36 is thenmoved into the terminal 42, as shown in FIG. 6. In alternateembodiments, the terminal may have a different configuration, in suchthe cable may be located in proximity to the terminal.

In this position, the cable 36 extends from the terminal 42 and throughthe channel 148 of the clamping device 144. When the cable terminationdevice 10 is in the open position, the clamp arms 150, 152 are in theopen position shown in FIG. 6, thereby allowing for the cable 36 to beproperly positioned. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, in the open position,the first clamp arm 150 and the second clamp arm 152 are spaced apart toform the cable receiving channel 148. In this position the spring 154exerts a force on the slide 151 to retain the slide 151 in the positionshown in FIGS. 9 and 10, thereby maintaining the first clamp arm 150 andthe second clamp arm 152 in the open position.

With the terminal 42 and cable 36 properly positioned, the handle 160 ismoved from the position shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 to the position shown inFIGS. 11 and 12. As this occurs the linkage 158 is pivoted about pivotpoint 163, which in turn causes the slide 151 to move toward wall 156.The linkage 158 is positioned and maintained in line with adjustmentblock 162 to retain the linkage in the position shown in FIGS. 11 and12. The causes the first clamp arm 150 and the second clamp arm 152 torotate relative to the base plate 151, causing the clamp arms 150, 152to be moved to the closed position, as shown in FIG. 7, to maintain thecable 36 in position relative to the cable termination device 10. Inthis position, the spring 154 is resiliently deformed in a compressedposition. The positioning of the linkage 158 in line with the adjustmentblock 162 prevents the mechanism from unwanted movement from the closedposition.

The handle 160 is free to pivot downward, as shown in FIG. 13, toprevent the operator from reaching through the guards 23 and releasingthe cable 36 from the clamp arms 150 and 152. The pivoting of the handle160 does not cause the first clamp arm 150 or the second clamp arm 152to move. With the cable 36 properly secured and the handle 160 properlypositioned, the motor 14 of the termination apparatus is operated anddrives the ram 16 and upper tooling member 22 to be moved as previouslydescribed thus crimping the terminal 142 onto the cable 36. The motor 14continues operation, causing the ram 16 and the upper tooling member 22to be withdrawn or removed from the terminal 42.

Once the ram 16 and the upper tooling member 22 reach the closedposition, the motor 14 is reversed, causing the ram 16 and the uppertooling member 22 to be withdrawn or removed from the terminal 42. Ascrimping occurs, a sensor (not shown) attached to the terminator frame12 senses the frame deflection and thus the force required to crimp theterminal and sends this data to a process analyzer (not shown). Thesensor may be located on the upper tooling member 22, the lower toolingmember 32, or at other locations in the cable termination device 10. Thesensor may be a camera or other visual sensor, a displacement ordistance sensor, strain, force, or other known type of sensors. Theinformation may be in the form visual pictures, amount of displacementof the upper tooling member 22, or other know characteristics which arerelevant to determine if the terminal 42 is properly secured to thecable 36. The processor will compare the information provided by thesensor to prior information of a proper crimp to determine if thecrimped area of the terminal 42 is acceptable or good or if the crimpedarea of the terminal 42 is not acceptable or defective. The processormay be a circuit board or other circuitry which can be located at anyposition on the cable termination device 10 or remote from thetermination device.

If the crimped area of the terminal 42 is acceptable or good, theterminating apparatus will open the guard 23 or allow the guard 23 to beopened. Opening the guard will allow the operator to access the handle160 and to move the handle 160 to the position shown in FIG. 14. Withthe handle 160 moved, the linkage 158 is moved from the housing 171,allowing the spring 154 to return toward an unstressed position, whichin turn, allows the slide 151 and the clamp arms 150, 152 to return tothe open position. With the clamp arms 150, 152 in the open position,the properly terminated terminal 42 and cable 36 may be removed from thecable termination device 10.

However, if the crimped area of the terminal 42 is not acceptable ordefective, the terminating apparatus will not open the guard 23 or notallow the guard 23 to be opened, thereby preventing the operator fromaccessing the handle 160 and thereby preventing the clamping device 144from being moved to the open position. This prevents removal of theterminal 42 and the cable 36 from the cable termination device 10 by theoperator.

The processor is secured and cannot be overrode without a proper code orkey. Therefore, if a defective crimp is detected, a second person, suchas a supervisor or a quality assurance person, must enter the code orprovide the key so that the defective crimp terminal can be removed fromthe terminator. This ensures that defective crimps will be destroyed. Inalternate embodiments, the defective crimp can be released by othermethods. The method of releasing the defective crimp is not important tothe idea of retaining the defective crimp by retaining the cable in aclamping device that was locked prior to cable termination and cannot beunlocked when the guards are not opened or are prevented from beingopened after detecting a defective crimp.

Referring to FIGS. 15 through 23, a third illustrative embodiment isshown. In this embodiment the clamping device 244 is mounted on the baseplate 28.

FIGS. 18 through 23 show the interaction of the parts of the toggleclamp in a section view in which the clamp housing 271 has the outsidewall removed. The toggle lock clamping device 244 has a first clamp arm250 and a second clamp arm 252. A slide 251 is positioned between thefirst clamp arm 250 and the second clamp arm 252. Dowel pin 253 is fixedmounted in the housing 271 and passes through a clearance hole in thefirst clamp arm 250 allowing the first clamp arm 250 to rotate relativeto the housing 271. A pin, 269 is fixed mounted to the first clamp arm250 and is engaged in slot 257 of the slide 251. Linear movement of theslide 251 along the longitudinal axis 249 of the clamping device 244causes a rotation of the first clamp arm 250 relative to the housing271. Dowel pin 259 is fixed mounted in the housing 271 and passesthrough a clearance hole in the second clamp arm 252 allowing the secondclamp arm 252 to rotate relative to the housing 271. A pin, 270 is fixedmounted to the first clamp arm 250 and is engaged in slot (not shown) ofthe slide 251. Movement of the slide 251 causes a rotation of the secondclamp arm 252 relative to the housing 271 and in a direction oppositethe first clamp arm 250.

The slide 251 is attached to a spring 254 which is attached to an endwall 256 of the clamping device 244. The slide 251 is also is pivotallyconnected to a linkage 258 at pin 261. The linkage 258 is pivotablyconnected to a handle 260 at pin 263. Dowel pin 272 is fixed mounted inthe housing 271 and passes through a clearance hole in the handle 260allowing the handle 260 to rotate relative to the housing 271. Pin 263is mounted in linkage 258 and is engaged in slot 264 of handle 260.

FIGS. 18 and 19 show the clamping device with the first clamp arm 250and second clamp arm 252 rotated away from cable 36. This condition isthe load condition. In this condition, spring member 254 is applying aforce to the slide 251 to push it toward the handle 260. The pin 263 oflinkage 258 is above the centerlines of pin 261 and 272. This pushes thehandle 260 into housing 271 at point 273 which prevents the mechanismfrom moving.

An air cylinder 275 is attached to the adapter 274 which mounts to thehousing 271. The air cylinder 275 extends through the adapter 274 andengages the slide 251 through clevis 268. When first clamp arm 250 andsecond clamp arm 252 are rotated to engage with the cable 36, airpressure applied to the extend side of the air cylinder 275 will causethe air cylinder to apply extra or additional clamping force to theclamp arms. When first clamp arm 250 and second clamp arm 252 arerotated to engage with the cable 36, air pressure applied to the retractside of the air cylinder 275 will cause the air cylinder to move slide251 away from the handle 260 and rotate first clamp arm 250 and secondclamp arm 252 to the open position. Moving the slide 251 away from thehandle 260 will cause the handle to rotate clockwise until is stops atstop surface 273 on housing 271.

The toggle clamping device 244 shown in FIGS. 15 through 23 is meant tobe illustrative. Other types and configurations of the clamping devicemay be used without departing from the scope of the invention.

In operation, the operator places a terminal 42 in the terminalreceiving cavity 40 of the terminal holding device 38. In alternateembodiments, the terminal 42 may be automatically positioned in theterminal receiving cavity 40 by a known automated process or device.

With the terminal 42 properly positioned, an end of the cable 36 ispositioned in the clamping device 244. The end of the cable 36 is thenmoved into the terminal 42, as shown in FIG. 15.

In this position, the cable 36 extends from the terminal 42 and throughthe channel 248 of the clamping device 244. Prior to loading a cable,the clamp arms 250, 252 are in the open position shown in FIG. 15,thereby allowing for the cable 36 to be properly positioned. As shown inFIGS. 18 and 19, in the open position, the first clamp arm 250 and thesecond clamp arm 252 are spaced apart to form the cable receivingchannel 248. In this position the spring 254 exerts a force on the slide251 which exerts a force onto the link 258 through pin 261. This causespin 263 to move to the right and up in slot 264 of handle 260 and exerta force to push the handle 260 in a clockwise direction relative toFIGS. 18 and 19. The handle 260 is prevented from rotating further thanthe position shown in the FIGS. 18 and 19 by stop surface 273 of housing271. This condition will retain the slide 251 in the position shown inFIGS. 18 and 19, thereby maintaining the first clamp arm 250 and thesecond clamp arm 152 in the open position.

With the terminal 42 and cable 36 properly positioned, the handle 260 ismoved from the position shown in FIGS. 18 and 19 to the position shownin FIG. 22. As this occurs the linkage 258 is pivoted about pin 263 andis moved into recess 262. Once the pin 263 of link 258 passes below thecenterlines between pin 272 and pin 261, spring 254 will apply a forceto move slide 251 toward the handle 260. This will cause the first clamparm 250 and the second clamp arm 252 to rotate toward cable 36 untilthey stop against cable 36 with a small force. This small force willallow cable 36 to move axially in the clamp arms 250 and 252 due tocable and terminal extrusion during the crimping process.

With the cable 36 properly secured, the motor 14 of the terminationapparatus is operated and drives the ram 16 and upper tooling member 22to be moved as previously described thus crimping the terminal 142 ontothe cable 36. The motor 14 continues operation, causing the ram 16 andthe upper tooling member 22 to be withdrawn or removed from the terminal42.

As crimping occurs, a sensor (not shown) attached to the terminatorframe 12 senses the frame deflection and thus the force required tocrimp the terminal and sends this data to a process analyzer (notshown). The sensor may be located on the upper tooling member 22, thelower tooling member 32, or at other locations in the cable terminationdevice 10. The sensor may be a camera or other visual sensor, adisplacement or distance sensor, strain, force, or other known type ofsensors. The information may be in the form visual pictures, amount ofdisplacement of the upper tooling member 22, or other knowcharacteristics which are relevant to determine if terminal 42 isproperly secured to the cable 36. The processor will compare theinformation provided by the sensor to prior information of a propercrimp to determine if the crimped area of the terminal 42 is acceptableor good or if the crimped area of the terminal 42 is not acceptable ordefective. The processor may be a circuit board or other circuitry whichcan be located at any position on the cable termination device 10 orremote from the termination device.

If the crimped area of the terminal 42 is acceptable or good, theterminating apparatus will apply air pressure to the retract side of theair cylinder 275. This will cause the clevis 268 to move away from thehandle causing the slide 251 to move away from the handle. This actionwill cause the clamp arms 250 and 252 to rotate away from the cable 36to an open position. The action of the slide 251 moving away from handle260 will cause link 258 to pull on the handle 260 and cause it to rotateclockwise until the handle 260 stops against stop surface 273 of housing271.

Alternately, the handle 260 may be manually rotated clockwise untilmovement is stopped by stop surface 273 of housing 271. The handle 260rotating clockwise will apply a force to link 258 through pin 263 whichwill cause slide 251 to move away from the handle. This action willcause the clamp arms 250 and 252 to rotate away from the cable 36 to anopen position. Movement of slide 251 away from the handle will alsocause the clevis 268 to move away from the handle 260 and push the rodof air cylinder 275 back into the air cylinder.

However, if the crimped area of the terminal 42 is not acceptable ordefective, the terminating apparatus will not open the guard 23 or notallow the guard 23 to be opened. The terminating apparatus 10 willsupply air pressure to the extend side of air cylinder 275. This willcause the air cylinder 275 to apply extra force to slide 251 through theclevis 268. The extra force applied to slide 251 will cause the clamparms 250 and 252 to apply extra grip force to the cable, which preventsremoval of the terminal 42 and the cable 36 from the cable terminationdevice 10 by the operator.

The processor is secured and cannot be overrode without a proper code orkey. Therefore, if a defective crimp is detected, a second person, suchas a supervisor or a quality assurance person, must enter the code orprovide the key so that the defective crimp terminal can be removed fromthe terminator. This ensures that defective crimps will be destroyed. Inalternate embodiments, the defective crimp can be released by othermethods. The method of releasing the defective crimp is not important tothe idea of retaining the defective crimp by retaining the cable in aclamping device that was locked prior to cable termination and cannot beunlocked when the guards are not opened or are prevented from beingopened after detecting a defective crimp.

While the invention has been described with reference to a preferredembodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted forelements thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined in the accompanying claims. One skilled in the artwill appreciate that the invention may be used with many modificationsof structure, arrangement, proportions, sizes, materials and componentsand otherwise used in the practice of the invention, which areparticularly adapted to specific environments and operative requirementswithout departing from the principles of the present invention. Thepresently disclosed embodiments are therefore to be considered in allrespects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the inventionbeing defined by the appended claims, and not limited to the foregoingdescription or embodiments.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A wire termination apparatus forterminating an electrical terminal to a wire or cable, the wiretermination apparatus comprising: an upper tooling member attached to aram, the upper tooling member having a crimp die, the upper toolingmovable between an open position and a closed position; a lower toolingmember attached to a base member of a frame of the wire terminationapparatus; a process analyzer which determines if a crimped terminal isproperly crimped to a wire or cable; wherein if process analyzerdetermines that the terminal has not been properly crimped to the cable,the upper tooling member is prevented from returning to the openposition thus preventing the removal of the defectively crimped terminaland wire or cable from the wire termination apparatus.
 2. The wiretermination apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein a terminal holdingdevice is positioned proximate the lower tooling member, the terminalholding device has a terminal receiving cavity.
 3. The wire terminationapparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein if terminal has not beenproperly crimped to the cable, the processor requires a code or key toallow the upper tooling member to return to the open position.
 4. A wiretermination apparatus for terminating an electrical terminal to a wireor cable, the wire termination apparatus comprising: an upper toolingmember attached to a ram, the upper tooling member having a crimp die,the upper tooling movable between an open position and a closedposition; a lower tooling member attached to a base member of a frame ofthe wire termination apparatus; a process analyzer which determines if acrimped terminal is properly crimped to a wire or cable; wherein ifprocess analyzer determines that the terminal has not been properlycrimped to the wire or cable and the upper tooling is not in closeproximity to the defectively crimped terminal, the upper tooling memberis returned to a position in contact with or within close proximity ofthe defectively crimped terminal thus preventing the defectively crimpedterminal and wire or cable from being removed from the terminationapparatus.
 5. The wire termination apparatus as recited in claim 4,wherein a terminal holding device is positioned proximate the lowertooling member, the terminal holding device has a terminal receivingcavity.
 6. The wire termination apparatus as recited in claim 4, whereinif terminal has not been properly crimped to the cable, the processorrequires a code or key to allow the upper tooling member to return tothe open position.